Dubai is already among the top five favorites to win the EuroLeague. With Toko Shengelia being added to an impressive and exceptionally deep roster, and Xavi Pascual taking the reins, the team from the United Arab Emirates doesn’t just want to participate. They want to reach the Final Four.
Bookmakers have a unique way of sparking conversations in the dead of summer. You look at the odds for the upcoming EuroLeague season, spot Dubai as the fifth favorite, and the initial reaction comes almost automatically: “Did they overdo it a bit?”.
One of Europe’s finest is now in Dubai.
— Dubai Basketball (@dubaibasket) August 6, 2026
Tornike Shengelia brings elite talent, versatility, and winning experience to Dubai Basketball.
Read more: https://t.co/1tO0UiXEWo pic.twitter.com/h78It7gwLX
At second glance, however, this assessment doesn’t seem unreasonable at all. Right now, Dubai is even offered at 10.00 to win the title, trailing only Panathinaikos, Olympiacos, Fenerbahce, and Real Madrid. And they now have plenty of reasons to believe they can threaten the European elite.
A roster with more than one solution everywhere
Dubai didn’t start from scratch. From the previous season, they retained a core full of quality, featuring McKinley Wright, Dzanan Musa, Dwayne Bacon, Davis Bertans, Filip Petrusev, and Mfiondu Kabengele. Players with scoring ability, athleticism, size, and experience at the highest level.
On top of this foundation, they added Elie Okobo, the MVP of the French league, a guard who can create for both himself and his teammates. They acquired Jaron Blossomgame, one of the most reliable two-way forwards in the EuroLeague, the athletic Mamadi Diakite, and Davion Mintz for even greater depth in the backcourt.
And then came Toko Shengelia. At 35, he remains one of the premier power forwards in the competition, capable of creating from the low post, attacking face-up, and serving as a focal point in crucial possessions. Together with Petrusev, Kabengele, Diakite, Jaiteh, and Kamenjas, he forms a front line with tremendous size, diverse characteristics, and countless potential combinations.
In the backcourt, there are Wright, Okobo, Mintz, Prepelic, Musa, and Bacon, while the forward positions feature, among others, Blossomgame, Bertans, Anderson, and Shengelia. The challenge now isn’t finding solutions. It’s sharing the ball and defining roles.
Pascual changes the entire conversation
Dubai’s biggest signing might not even be on the court. The hiring of Xavi Pascual gives them, for the first time, a championship-caliber coach with deep knowledge of the EuroLeague and a clear tactical identity.
The Catalan didn’t arrive just to manage an expensive roster. He signed until 2029, having won the EuroLeague with Barcelona and having also worked at Panathinaikos and Zenit. He knows how to build defenses, define roles, and turn individual talent into a cohesive team.
This is exactly what Dubai needs. Because with so many players who want the ball in their hands, balance won’t emerge automatically. Pascual is tasked with deciding who creates, who executes, who finishes games, and which players can coexist without losing defensive solidity.
The money is there, and now it’s being spent purposefully
In their first season in the EuroLeague, Dubai announced a budget of approximately 16 million euros. The exact figure for the new season hasn’t been made public, but everything points to a significant increase.
For Pascual alone, reports mentioned an offer reaching six million euros over three years. To release Shengelia from Barcelona, a 900,000-euro buyout clause had to be met, while Okobo, Blossomgame, and Diakite signed multi-year deals. At the same time, the team had already locked down Wright until 2029 and Kabengele until 2028.
So, this isn’t just a team with money. It’s an organization investing in longevity, buying players at the right age, and trying to build a stable core. Even the acquisitions of Kevin Kokila and Yannick Kraag, who will continue on loan at Virtus and Badalona respectively, show that the plan extends beyond the upcoming season.
Dubai Basketball has signed Kevin Kokila, who will spend the 2026/27 season on loan at Virtus Bologna.
— Dubai Basketball (@dubaibasket) August 5, 2026
Good luck, Kevin! 🔥
Read more: https://t.co/EYlro4CTFk pic.twitter.com/AiSC2bIG4J
From a “new project” to a genuine threat
Dubai was founded just in 2023, but they are moving at a pace that doesn’t resemble a new organization. In their first EuroLeague campaign, they finished just one spot away from the play-in, while simultaneously winning the ABA League. Now, they don’t just want to improve on last year’s result. The goal is the playoffs and, from there, contending for a spot in the Final Four.
Of course, names and money guarantee nothing. Dubai needs to build chemistry, endure the grueling travel schedule of the season, and establish a clear hierarchy in a roster filled with leading men. As an organization, they don’t yet possess the experience of major playoff series, nor have they built the home-court advantage or the competitive tradition of the established powerhouses.
The bookmakers, however, aren’t necessarily claiming that Dubai will make it to the Final Four. They are claiming that, if they do get there, it won’t be a surprise. And after their summer moves, it’s now hard to disagree with them.